Commentary for Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 31-33 (The Gospel of Christ)

The Gospel of Christ 

The remaining chapter of 2 Nephi discuss the gospel of Christ -- also known as the Doctrine of Christ. Because of it's extensive discussion of the gospel of Christ, I am going to organize my commentary differently. For this commentary I want to exclusively focus on the Doctrine of Christ. (aka "The Gospel of Christ")

The Doctrine of Christ 

In verse 1, Nephi remarks:

1 And now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob.
2 Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying.

Here, Nephi has completed his prophecy regarding the Jews, his people, and the Gentiles, and now shifts to speak "a few words...concerning the doctrine of Christ." The words which Nephi has written concerning the events to come is enough. He has said what he needs and now turns his attention to the doctrine of Christ.

However, before exploring what Nephi has to say, let's first turn to understanding the bigger context into which the gospel of Christ fits. The Eden story in Genesis is our starting point.

Entering into the Fallen World 

In the Eden narrative, we learn that Adam and Eve are expelled from the garden because they transgressed God's command. This is referred to as the fall. The significance of the falls is significant because it means that not only were Adam and Eve cut off from the presence of God, but we, by being the offspring of Adam and Eve are also born into the fallen world. And just like Adam and Eve who were cut off from the Lord's presence, we too are removed from his presence.

Fortunately, this removal doesn't show its full effects until after the age of accountability. As infants up to early childhood, our decisions and their ramifications are covered by the atonement. Consequently, although we may make mistake during this interim period before accountability, it is not held against us.

But this condition doesn't last forever and eventually we reach the age of accountability. An age where the choices we make effect our spiritual outcome. And also the age where we're exposed to the influence of the devil. This time, falling into temptation means falling under Satan's influence. Ultimately, then it's at this stage in our life where we either progress towards truth and light or regress into lies and darkness.

More importantly, for those who are born in the restored gospel, it's the opportunity to follow the doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ is the mechanism established by the Lord to remove the effects of the fall and to bring us back into his presence. Notable is that when Nephi explains the doctrine of Christ, he refers to those who accept the doctrine of Christ as "entering by the way."

1 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts? (2 Nephi 32)  

5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32)  

21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. (2 Nephi 31) 

Although the phrase "the way" can mean lots of things, one definition provided by Webster's 1828 dictionary is that of a "a passing", "passage", "road of any kind" or "a highway." Thus, when Nephi is saying to enter in by the way, an alternative way to phrase this is to say "enter by the passage or road"

We often talk about the strait and narrow path, but have we ever considered what it fully means to enter in by the passage, especially in light of living in a fallen state? In other words, what is the significance of the meaning of passage in relation to being surrounded by Satan's influence? To answer this question, we return to Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life.

Tree of Life

In describing the Tree of Life, Lehi explains:

19 And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.
20 And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.
21 And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood.
22 And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.

Crucial to note is that Lehi sees that a path, running along an iron rod, serving as the way (the path, passage, road) to reach the Tree of Life. For those who desire to partake of the Tree of Life are required to enter into the path. much like those who accept the doctrine of Christ show their true acceptance by "entering into the way." Thus the entering on the path towards the Tree of Life means that one has accepted to doctrine of Christ. The path to the Tree of Life ultimately represents the doctrine of Christ.

And if we take a step back to observe Lehi's vision and compare it to what we know how life in a fallen state, we'll begin to see how everything comes together.

To do this, let's look at the 1) the meaning of the tree of life and 2) the mists of darkness

The Meaning of the Tree of Life

The first place to look at is the meaning of the Tree of Life. Since the vision revolves around people partaking or not partaking form the fruit of the Tree of Life, it's important that we fully understand what the Tree of Life represents. Otherwise, if we have the incorrect interpretation, then we miss out on the meaning of Lehi's vision.

When it come to understanding what the Tree of Life represents, it's important that we take the historical context into account. Lehi is not a 21st century man. He is a man who has grown up in Jerusalem and lives in the greater context of the Near East. Just like our culture is influenced by other cultures, Lehi's Jewish culture would have been influenced by the larger culture of the Near East. This culture would include the Canaanite culture surrounding the land of Israel and Judah as well as the nations further away, such as Egypt and Mesopotamia.

The culture of the Near East (of Ancient Near East) viewed trees in a way differently than we do today.  In Ancient Near East culture, trees represented divinity. This is because trees were perceived by the Near East culture to be a symbol of endurance and life. As as being such, served as a symbol for the divine.

Egypt, for example, associated many of its gods with trees. Horus, Osiris, and Re were all associated with trees. Female deities were also associated with trees, with each tree of the deity being depicted in the role of nourishment. Additionally, the Mesopotamians culture associated tress with divinity. The goddess Ishtar, who was the goddess of fertility, was sometimes portrayed standing next to a sacred tree. Moreover, the Ugaritic goddess, Asherah, is fashioned in statutes with the lower half of her body resembling a tree trunk.

Thus rooted in the Ancient Near East psyche is the recognition that trees represented the divine. And since Israel and Judah existed and were influenced in and by this culture (as archeological evidence indicates), the Tree of Life in Lehi's dream served to represent the presence of the divine. Thus the path that leads to the Tree of Life, is the path that leads into God's presence. Lehi's dream then is a allegory of the pathway back to God.

Some of us may pushback on this idea by referencing 1 Nephi 11:22, where Nephi explains that the tree represents the love of God. While this is true, we have to bear in mind to what Nephi sees prior to making this statement. If we look at the proceeding passages, we learn that the angel shows Nephi the condescension of the Lord in response to Nephi asking the interpretation of the tree. The love of God, which the tree also represents, is the result of entering into the Lord's presence. When we entering into his presence, we are filled with love because he is love.

Furthermore, we should also bear in mind how the Lord talked about himself. Consider what the Lord teaches to his disciples:

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5). 

Here, Christ links himself to being the tree.

This video is worthwhile to watch:

The Mists of Darkness 

Seeing that the Tree of Life represents the presence of God, let's now zoom out to the other major image in the dream -- darkness or the mists of darkness.

As you recall, Lehi's dream begins with him the in a "dark and dreary wilderness." The dark and dreary wilderness represents this world. Because of the fall, each of us are born into a fallen world, a world that is governed by Satan. As we recall, Nephi throughout 1st and 2nd Nephi linked Satan to darkness. This darkness is the representation of Satan's influence over the world. The Lord represents light and Satan is the opposite -- darkness. Since we are born into darkness, our job is to get out of it -- to find the path that leads to God's presence. We do this by accepting and following the Gospel of Christ.

Following the Gospel 

Now that we see the Tree of Life represents God's presence and the path to the Tree of Life represents the path into God's presence, we can begin to explore what Nephi has written about it.

Since we are born into darkness, we want to escape its influence as soon as we can. We do, as Nephi expresses, by entering into the way. But how do we exactly enter into the way? If we are living in darkness, how can we know if we're even on the path?

Nephi's explanation provide an roadmap for how to enter into the way. Nephi remarks in chapter 32:

5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

Here, Nephi links entering in by the way with receiving the Holy Ghost. Thus one begins on the path towards the Tree of Life when one has received the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

17 ... For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. (2 Nephi 31)

Baptism by water starts the process, but our journey begins when are baptized by fire and receive the Holy Ghost. Because the Holy Ghost is the marker of having entering into the way, Nephi dedicates a significant chunk of chapter 31 to explaining how one receives the Holy Ghost. He writes,

13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

At the end of verse 13, Nephi explains that if you meet certain conditions "then ye shall receive the Holy Ghost." These conditions, moreover, are not conditions that are discussed often in Church. But since Nephi links these conditions to receiving the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is the marker of entering in by the way, we should break down the conditions Nephi sets out.

Nephi list six conditions. They are as follows

1. Follow Christ with full purpose of heart with real intent
2. Act no hypocrisy
3. Act with no deception before God
4. Repent
5. Witness to the Father your willingness to take upon Christ's name
6. Be baptized by water.

Let's explore three of these conditions: 1) Full Purpose of Heart; 2) No Deception; and 3) Repentance

1. Full Purpose of Heart 

As we have learned, in scriptures the heart represent the inner part of the person. A common image in the scriptures surrounds the state of one's heart. For instance, one's heart can be hard or one's heart can be soft. Throughout scripture, the Lord seeks to claim our heart. Time and time, the Lord reminds his people that he is after their heart, wanting it to be soft and tender.

The Lord, speaking through Ezekiel about the future gathering of Israel, declares:

24 ... I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Those who are gathered into Zion will be given a new heart. And the reason for having new heart is so that that Lord can:

27 ... put [his] spirit within [us], and cause [us] to walk in [his] statutes, and [we] shall keep [his] judgments, and do them.

By having a new heart, a soft and tender heart, we are receptive the Spirit of the Lord. To have a soft heart means that we are like children when it comes to following the Lord; we rely on the Lord to teach and guide us, acknowledging that his ways are better than ours. When see ourselves as ignoramuses, we are then teachable. And when we are teachable, the Spirit dwells within us, teaching us all things we should know.

Thus to serve the Lord with full purpose of heart means that our entire being is dedicated to the Lord's will. When we are in this state, we can say "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Having arrived in a state where are our will is fully devoted to God, we are willing to surrender the things that keep is away from Him. We are also willing to serve Him whenever, however, and whatever. Nothing is kept back from Him.

Yet, most of us our too selfish to fully give our hearts to the Lord. With so much the world as to offer, we rather spend our hours in Babylon instead of seeking after the things of heaven. We're comfortable living day-to-day existence, allowing the pleasures of Babylon to occupy our mind, dulling us to the beautiful reality of the gospel. Surrendering to the Lord is not easy. It requires allowing him to reshape the way we understand the world and ourselves. It means letting go of the illusions we cling to. And it means putting our interests to side if necessary.

2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught. (2 Nephi 33) 

But if we expect to have any real connection with the Holy Ghost, we have to surrender. A.W. Tozer, a popular theologian, aptly explained the process of receiving the Holy Ghost. He explains if we want to have the Spirit with us, we must be prepared for the Spirit of God to live within us. This means that the Spirit of God becomes a part of us, changing who we are. If we aren't willing to change, then the Holy Ghost won't fully dwell with us.

The Shema in Deuteronomy, which the Jews/Isralites prayed daily (even to this day), captures this idea of full purpose of heart perfectly:

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6) 

2. Deception

Another condition Nephi lays out is that of "acting no deception before God." If there's one truth about humanity is that we are experts at rationalizing our behavior. And by rationalizing our behavior, we create a rationale that lets us avoid making the hard choices.

Tim Keller, who is a Presbyterian minister, has an excellent podcast exploring sin as deception. I encourage everyone to listen to it! It's linked here.

For us, deception before God can happen in countless ways, but I want to explore three major ways that cause us to act in deception before God. These three ways are 1) through commandments; 2) through rationalization; 3) through language

Through Commandments 

You may be surprised to see that commandments are a way we act in deception before God. But in many instances, commandments can actually lead us away from God instead of drawing us closer. This occurs when we do the commandments for the sake of doing them. God didn't just give us commandments to see how good we are about following rules. He gave us commandments to teach us about His character and to remove us from Satan's grasp.

Thus going to church while having you mind preoccupied with other things not related to God is no good. You might as well not go to church. Same thing applies with scriptures. Passively reading the scriptures everyday for 10min or so is a waste of time and not in keeping with God's command. We are commanded to read and study the scriptures so we can learn truth. Passive reading of the scriptures, not matter how consistent, isn't going to yield greater knowledge. The same goes with prayer and so on.  Moreover, keeping these kind of commandments will do us no good if we ignore the weightier things of the gospel -- such as loving God and loving one's neighbors.

But this is not a new, 21st century problem. It's a human problem. Just as many of us follow commandments just to follow them, the Jews prior to their destruction did the same thing. And the Old Testament prophets were clear about their error.

Isaiah: 

10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Noteworthy is the fact that the Jews, despite their wickedness, were still honoring the ritual commands of the Mosaic Law. Leviticus 1:9 describes burnt offering as pleasant aroma to the Lord. The new moon feast was commanded in Numbers

At the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old with blemish (Num 28:11) 

Moreover, the people in verse 11 of Isaiah are being generous in their offerings. They are offering the fat of their animals. To offer the fat, meant that they weren't skipping out on God, but they were offering the best of their animals, the healthiest.

So why does the Lord, in verse 14, say that he hates their feasts? Why does he hide from them? Because they are simply following the commandments while ignoring the weightier things of the gospel, such as seeking justice, relieving the oppressed, and pleading for the widows.

In addition to following commandments for the sake of following them, another issue that arises is using commandments as a litmus test for deciding who is righteous and who is not. This was the situation that Jesus was born into. The Jewish obedience towards commandments served as a way to draw boundaries between the righteous Jews and the heathen nations. Those who did not honor both the written and oral law were not going to be redeemed by God. Thus the Jewish belief sought to base their righteousness in comparison to who they weren't. This led to many Jews falsely believing that they were righteous, because they weren't the heathens and pagans, who were worshipping other gods. But the problem with this is that they mistakenly believed their were righteous, when they weren't.

It was this belief that was in the center of Jesus' crosshairs during his ministry. And he address this is a number of ways. The first is by the calling of his disciples. Jesus' disciples came from all social groups in Jewish society. A few were fishermen, one was a tax collector, and another was a member of the Zealots, an extreme Jewish political party. Calling his disciples from all aspects of Jewish society was a statement that the Lord's measure of righteousness is different than an institutions or culture. As Lord said to Samuel when it came to anointing David,

...Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Instead of creating in and out groups, Jesus' message was about inviting everyone to partake of God's goodness. Hence the reason why he spent much of his time with publicans, prostitutes, and the lower rungs of society. To bring all unto him.

It's not our job to decide who is worthy of him and who is not. Nor should we think that because we keep commandments that we are more righteous than those who don't. Righteous is relative. There will always be those who obey a higher law than we do. Failing to realize this, leaves us thinking that we are righteous when we are not. When we falsely believe that we are righteous, then we can't progress because we don't see a need to. Thus we miss what God is trying to teach us.

Through Rationalization 

Somewhat in line with keeping the commandments is the idea of rationalizing. Rationalizing comes in many forms, but the one form that is insidious is when we rationalize away obedience. To rationalize away obedience means that we find excuses not to do what God really wants us to do. The way this occurs is quite simple. The Spirit gives us a command through a prompting. However, because the command is hard or inconvenient, we ignore it. But to cover the guilt from not obeying God's command, we rationalize the disobedience away by telling ourselves that although we disobeyed a command, we are at least doing "most" of what God wants us to do.

This principle is present in the story of King Saul.

The Lord commands Saul to slay everyone and everything -- destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

We learn:

4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

Saul did not obey the Lord. Instead he preserved the king's life and did not destroy the livestock and other items.

We Learn the Lord was not happy and sent Samuel to talk to Saul.

12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Saul says that he kept the commandments of the Lord. But Samuel asks why then does he hear sheep bleating and the noise of oxen. Saul responds:

15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Saul disobeys God's command and then rationalized that he can use the best of livestock as a sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel calls Saul's disobedience evil, while remarking,

22 ...Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Samuel explains that obedience to the Lord is more important.

Saul's mistake was that he thought he could rationalize himself out of having to kill everyone and everything. He reasoned that he could disobey in one part (not killing everyone and everything), so he could be obedient in the other (offering sacrifices). But though he was able to provide the best livestock for sacrifice, this is not what the Lord commanded him to do.

So too, with our lives, we are often guilty of rationalizing away what the Lord would truly have us do, and then justify that rationalization by keeping most of the Lord's commands -- or at least the commands that are convenient.

Some examples in our life may be:

1. Gossiping about a person, but then believing you're righteous because you go to church and obey the word of wisdom. 

2. Being dishonest in your dealing with fellow men, but rationalizing away that dishonestly because you attend the temple and attend all your church meetings. 

3. Lusting after women/men in your thoughts, but rationalizing that it's not a big deal because you haven't ever physically cheated on your spouse and you keep all of the other commandments. 

4. A person is prompted by the Spirit to give his money to a homeless man begging, he ignores the prompting reasoning that he gives a generous tithe and fast offering.

These are some of the many ways we rationalize away being obedient to God. It's worthwhile to take time to ponder whether you are guilty of doing this. For just as Samuel says, the Lord cares about us being obedient to him over simply keeping his commandments. There is a difference between these two things. Simply keeping the commandments won't get you any closer to God if you are ignoring the weightier things -- particularly, the things that the Lord has commanded you to do.

Through Language

Language is a messy thing. Most of us take the words we use for granted, not realizing that a lot of what we say is quite ambiguous. In fact, despite how much we don't like them, the skill of a lawyer is to exploit, in many cases, the ambiguity of the law to his or her client's favor. But this same messiness that exists in modern English and day-to-day interactions, also occurs in the gospel.

My forthcoming book will explain how language works and why understanding how language works matters when it come to reading and interpreting scripture. But for now, the key takeaway is that many of us define gospel terms very loosely. For instance, we use word like "faith, hope, and charity" frequently but without knowing their real meaning.

The result of this is that we misunderstand what the gospel requires and what is expected of us. For instances, if we believe that faith is simply trusting in God, then we may believe that trusting in God haphazardly or capriciously is enough. However, the scriptures teach us that faith in God is not simply trust, but unconditional trust in God's promises. Those with faith unto salvation requires the following:

Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things: it was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things, that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has, for the truth's sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice, because he seeks to do his will, he does know most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life. (Lectures on Faith, Lecture 6. http://lecturesonfaith.com/6/). 

This is just one example our of many. There are many terms that we misunderstand or misapply and by doing so, we miss their true meaning. And by misunderstanding their true meaning, we are hindered in coming unto God.

3. Repent 

The namesake of this blog is the Hebrew word for repent. As I explained under About this Blog section, the word teshuvah means to return. Thus repentance is more than asking God for forgiveness, but it is, in a sense, about turning back to God. If life is about acquiring light and truth and the opposite of acquiring light and truth is leads to darkness, it seems that our life exists on a continuum -- with one end being truth, the other being falsehood. Our goal is to move closer and closer to Truth. When we sin, we are, in effect, choosing to move towards falsehood. If we don't turn back around to truth, we then continue into more darkness until eventually we become past feeling and forget the truth we've learned (see Alma 12). Repenting then is to recognize your sin and then to turn to face God by stopping committing the sin.

We see this idea of repentance as returning in Jeremiah. Consider the following verses:

4 And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
5 They (the prophets) said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:
6 And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. (Jeremiah 5) 

Or consider the Lord's command to Ezekiel:

10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

And we turn and face God by forsaking our sins.

43 By this ye may know if a man (or woman) repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. 

Webster's 1828 Dictionary: forsake mean to "quit or leave entirely; to desert; to abandon; to depart from." 

Seeing what repentance is, we now turn to the last question: what does it look like to truly repent. Although there is no one way to repent, the following scriptures give us an idea:

Joel: 

12 ¶ Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

Jeremiah: 

3 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.
5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. (Jeremiah 7:3-7)

Note: In verse 7, where the Lord says that he will allow the Jews to dwell in this place mean that they have repented. They can dwell in Jerusalem because the Lord won't destroy them for their wickedness.   

Receive the Holy Ghost 

Based on what we've learned so far, we can see that obtaining the Holy Ghost fully requires more than having hands laid upon our heads. Instead, it requires full submission to the Lord.

The truth of the matter is that most of us have not fully received the Holy Ghost. We may have been ordained to receive it, but we haven't actually received it. Some of you may recall my discussion about the difference between being ordained to the priesthood and being conferred the priesthood. This same difference applies when it comes to receiving the Holy Ghost. When hands are laid on our heads, and we are confined a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and told to receive the Holy Ghost, those words mean that we know have authority to seek and obtain to Gift of the Holy Ghost. However, those words do not automatically mean that we'll receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Consider Elder Bednar's statements about the receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost:

The ordinance of confirming a new member of the Church and bestowing the gift of the Holy Ghost is both simple and profound. Worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holders place their hands upon the head of an individual and call him or her by name. Then, by the authority of the holy priesthood and in the name of the Savior, the individual is confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this important phrase is uttered: “Receive the Holy Ghost.” 

The simplicity of this ordinance may cause us to overlook its significance. These four words—“Receive the Holy Ghost”—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26). The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken. As we receive this ordinance, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to desire, to seek, to work, and to so live that we indeed “receive the Holy Ghost” and its attendant spiritual gifts. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift” (D&C 88:33).

Knowing if We've Received the Holy Ghost 

The scriptures have given us signs to know whether we have fully received the Holy Ghost. This is not a comprehensive list, but it does provide helpful indicates for determining whether we have received the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

1. Enos

• Interaction with the Lord (verse 5)
• Guilt swept away (verse 6)
• Concern about the welfare of others (verse 9)
• Concern for you enemies (verse 11)
• Desire to labor with diligence for the welfare of others (verse 11-12)
• Dedication and diligence in praying (verse 15)

2. Acts 1

• Experience of spiritual fire (verse 2-3)
• Speak in tongues (verse 4)
• Prophesy (verses 14 - 39)
• Perform miracles (verse 43

3. Helaman 5

• Experience of spiritual fire (verse 43)
• Become filled with fire (verse 45)
• Speak "marvelous words" (verse 45) 
• Interact with angels and ministered by angels (verse 48)

While the experience for the individual is unique, the key point is that the receiving the Holy Ghost through the baptism of fire is a noticeable event. Does it mean that the heavens will open up and you'll interact with angels? Possibly. But it's not always the case. For instance, Enos's experience was very different than the apostles on the day of Pentecost in Acts 1. But regardless of the experience, the person will know that a change has been wrought within them. Baptism of Fire by the Holy Ghost is not a process, but an event. You'll know it when you experience it.

However, besides these signs listed above, there are also other helpful indications to determine whether you've received the Holy Ghost.

4. Doctrine and Covenants

Doctrine and Covenants provides a list of signs that will follow those who are baptized of fire by the Holy Ghost.

64 ... I say unto you again, that every soul who  on your words, and is baptized by water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost.
65 And these signs shall follow them that believe (note: to believe is to be receive the Holy Ghost)—

The following are signs that will occur if you have truly received the Holy Ghost: 

66 In my name they shall do many wonderful works;
67 In my name they shall cast out devils;
68 In my name they shall heal the sick;
69 In my name they shall open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf;
70 And the tongue of the dumb shall speak;
71 And if any man shall administer poison unto them it shall not hurt them;
72 And the poison of a serpent shall not have power to harm them.

It's worthwhile to read through this list and see whether you manifest any one of these gifts. If you don't, then you might not have received the full Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Also note that these miracles come as a result of receiving the Holy Ghost, not holding the priesthood. This means that anyone who has received the Gift of the Holy Ghost will manifest one of these gifts even though they don't hold the priesthood. I'll explain the difference between performing miracles by faith and miracles by the priesthood in a future post.

But for the now, they key is to recognize that receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost comes with spiritual gifts. This is consistent with how God works in our lives -- rewarding the individual with further manifestations of his power the closer he/she gets to him.

5. Mosiah 5

But besides receiving spiritual gifts, which is important, another way to measure whether you've received the Holy Ghost based on whether you've experienced a mighty change within the self.

After King Benjamin has spoken to his people, he sought to know whether his people believed the words he had spoken that pertained to repentance and receiving a remission of sins in chapter 4. His people responded:

2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

Here we learn that King Benjamin's people attested to believing in his words by explaining that the Spirit of the Lord has "chang[ed" their hearts to such a degree "that [they] have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."

When one has been baptized of fire by the Holy Ghost, one is spiritually born again. The baptism of fire purifies our spirit so that the Holy Ghost can dwell with us. When this happens, our spirits literally change and become anew. This is why receiving the Holy Ghost is called being born again. Because the person receiving it becomes a new person in that his/her desires are to do good continually, and reject the evil.

Once one has this change, then one begins their path back to God. And this is because one is now ready to follow and adhere to his word.

Why Receiving the Holy Ghost Matters 

As a review, we've learned the following

1. Lehi's dream represents our journey back to God.
2. The Tree of Life represents the presence of God
3. We enter the presence of God by walking the strait and narrow.
4. We enter the strait and narrow path when we've been baptized of water AND the holy ghost
5. Receiving the Holy Ghost comes through a baptism of fire

Based on this, the first reason why we must receive the Holy Ghost is because it's the entry way to the strait and narrow. In other words, if we don't receive the Holy Ghost, we are not on the strait and narrow, but are still in the darkness -- maybe living in the great and spacious building.

But besides this reason there are also three other reasons why receiving the Holy Ghost matter and why we should spend all our energy in receiving it.

Remission of Sins 

In visiting the Nephites, the Lord taught

1 ... have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am.
2 And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.

To receive a remission of sins means that our sins are "released" and "forgiven". (see Webster's 1828 Dictionary, Remission). Thus the forgiveness of our sins happens when we are baptized by fire and receive the Holy Ghost. And despite what our primary song (When I Am Baptized) says, forgiveness of sins does not occur at baptism in water, but from baptism by fire.

Moreover, this principle of that baptism of fire brings the remission of sins is taught in Doctrine and Covenants

31 And of tenets thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost.

If we have not received a remission of sins, then we are not forgiven. If we aren't forgiven, then we can't inherit God's kingdom.

Connects us to God 

The next reason why receiving the Holy Ghost matters is because it connects us with God to a greater degree than before. As explained above, the receiving of the Holy Ghost spiritually rebirths us and we become new creatures. In this process, we receive a remission (forgiveness) of our sins,

Because we are new creatures and our sins our forgiven, we now can access the God. In Pauline and New Testament speak, we have become "justified." Our lives are reconciled to God and due to this reconciliation, we can access him. As a reminder, sin cuts us off from God's presence. Until we are reconciled to God, we won't be able to fully access him. This is one reason why many may feel that no matter how hard they pray, their prayers aren't answered. They haven't reconciled their lives to God and therefore their ability to access God is very limited. Moreover, to be justified means that you are not violating any of his know laws. This means that you are obedient to God in all things that you are aware of.

Let's read what Paul teaches about being reconciled to God.

First, let's read what Paul says about those who are of the flesh (i.e., those who have not received the Holy Ghost)

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

As Paul notes, being carnally minder (of the flesh) places on in opposition to God. And since one is in opposition, one can't please him.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
... 

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

... 

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

In verse 9, Paul explains that those who have the Spirit (the Holy Ghost) are adopted in God's family. And being adopted, we are able to reach out to God (verse 15). Moreover, the Holy Ghost will help us to connect with God because it will intercede for us. Our prayers won't be perfect, but the Holy Ghost will "fill-in-the-blanks", so to speak. It will make up what we lack. And by so doing, allow us to connect to God.

In 2 Nephi 32, Nephi also explains this type of connection, when he discussed speaking with the "tongue of angels." He writes,

1 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts?
2 Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Nephi sets out the following logic. I will lay it out.

1. If you have the HG --> speak the tongue of angels
2. The reason you can speak the tongue of angels is because the angels speak by the power of the holy ghost.
3. Angels speak by the words of Christ

Based on this, we can conclude then that if you have the HG, you can speak the words of Christ. Thus the Holy Ghost gives you power to speak as if Christ would speak if he were in your shoes. Additionally, we can infer that if we have the Holy Ghost, we can speak the tongue of angels. What does it mean to speak with the tongue of angels? It means that you  speak with angels. And why does this matter? Because when you have received the Holy Ghost, angels will minister to you. You will interact with heaven. Interacting with heaven, moreover, is necessary to learn the required knowledge to enter into Christ's presence and be redeemed.

Consider what Paul taught about ministering Spirits

14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14) 

Those who are heirs of salvation will be ministered by spirits (either angels or spirits).

Path Back to God 

Above I explained that receiving the Holy Ghost begins the path back to God, to receive eternal life.

16 And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.
17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
18 And then [ye are] in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive. (2 Nephi 21, Modification Inserted)

Here is diagram to help see how it all fits together

A Warning 

Although the Holy Ghost is necessary to receive eternal life, we must be aware of the stakes involved. As with anything in the gospel, the more light we receive, the greater condemnation we receive for rejecting the light. This applies with receiving the Holy Ghost.

If we receive the Holy Ghost and then fall away, the Lord explains,

14 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this (after receiving the Holy Ghost) should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.

Thus as we seek to receive the Holy Ghost, we must be aware that the stakes are great. I say this not to scare or deter anyone for seeking after it. For the Holy Ghost is necessary to receive eternal life. But as Jesus Christ taught his disciples, we must calculate, plan, and weigh the costs. Receiving the Holy Ghost is a big deal and should not be taken lightly.

But for those of you are desire it. Then I encourage you to seek it out with all you hear, might, mind and strength. Pray fervently that the Lord will grant you this gift, which comes to those who are true and faithful of God.